Day 1 New to AA

[cheddarveil]

I am so sick and tired of having a daily hangover. I am so disgusted that I can't beat my addiction to alcohol. So today I decided to seek some AA resources, both online and local meetings. I am afraid if I don't get to a meeting today, I will once again put it off. I am fighting a serious case of stomach upset today, resulting from my latest binge last night.

So here I am, hoping to at least gain some online support as I take my first steps on this recovery road.

I have asked God for forgiveness and strength so many times, and yet could not stop drinking. Today is the first time I have approached a support group.

[Reborn]

I have asked God for forgiveness and strength so many times, and yet could not stop drinking. Today is the first time I have approached a support group.

I can relate to the above...I did that so many times in the last few years of my drinking. "God help me" as I was raising the bottle to my lips one more time. I'm here to tell you that I was once just like you and because I finally became willing to take the action laid out in the Big Book I no longer have the obsession to drink. I would highly suggest to read the Big Book at least The Doctor's Opinion up to page 43 and look for similarities...these pages contain what an alcoholic is. The good news is you are not alone...none of us do this alone. Getting to a meeting is a great idea...get around like minded people who understand what you're going through. If you don't have a book you can google it...there are many free digital copies online. I hope you look back at today and say to yourself...this was my first step on my path to freedom...you can have this thing too...but...nothing changes if nothing changes.

[ezdzit247]

[quote="cheddarveil"]I am so sick and tired of having a daily hangover. I am so disgusted that I can't beat my addiction to alcohol. So today I decided to seek some AA resources, both online and local meetings. I am afraid if I don't get to a meeting today, I will once again put it off. I am fighting a serious case of stomach upset today, resulting from my latest binge last night.

Hi cheddarveil

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on making the decision to seek help for your drinking problem.

AA published a pamphlet entitled "This is AA - An introduction to the AA recovery program". Most AA meetings have this pamphlet in their literature shelf but you can also read it online by clicking on this link:

http://www.aa.org/assets/en_US/p-1_thisisaa1.pdf.

Here's an excerpt from the pamphlet on AA's 24 hour plan for keeping away from that next drink:

"For example, we take no pledges, we don’t say that we will “never” drink again. Instead, we try to follow what we in A.A. call the “24-hour plan.” We concentrate on keeping sober just the current twenty-four hours. We simply try to get through one day at a time without a drink. If we feel the urge for a drink, we neither yield nor resist. We merely put off taking that particular drink until tomorrow…."

I used AA's 24 hour plan and it worked real well for me. This and going to lots of meetings, one day at a time, really helped to smooth out the withdrawal effects of all the booze I had been drinking and helped me keep the plug in the jug so I could continue to grow and learn in sobriety.

Please let us know how you liked your first AA meeting, okay?

Keep coming back….

[PuppyEars]

Welcome. I hope you stick and stay rather than keep coming back. One of the ways I was able to stay was by reading and identifying with what is written in the blue book you will see at meetings. It still remains as the most eye opening book I have ever read.

[cheddarveil]

Thank you all for the encouragement. Now I truly understand the concept of the 24 hours. By constantly pledging to "never" take another drink, I was setting myself up for failure.

We are only given this moment, not the next. My first meeting is in a few hours. And I am more than ready to reach out and get this much needed help.

Thank you again!

[ezdzit247]

Thank you all for the encouragement. Now I truly understand the concept of the 24 hours. By constantly pledging to "never" take another drink, I was setting myself up for failure.

We are only given this moment, not the next. My first meeting is in a few hours. And I am more than ready to reach out and get this much needed help.

Thank you again!

Outstanding!

Looking forward to hearing more from you, cheddarveil.

Keep coming back......

[Lali]

My first meeting is in a few hours. And I am more than ready to reach out and get this much needed help.

I'm so excited for you going to your first meeting! Please come back and tell us about it, okay?

Please keep in mind that not all meetings are the same. You may want to try several meetings before you decide whether or not AA is for you.

[cheddarveil]

I went to my first AA meeting. It was like coming home. I wasn't prepared to feel so welcomed and encouraged. Certainly, I was blown away by how every single person there had a story just like mine. For once, I felt I was among my own kind.

I was given a list of names and phone numbers by people who are willing to be my sponsor. And I will be calling them.

Other than the precious list of willing sponsors and the Big Book, my most cherished gift is the 24 hour coin that they gave me. It will be a constant reminder to me that this journey is only to be taken 1 day at a time.

At 10:30 tonight, it will be 24 hours since I had a drink.

I am thankful that I have taken this step and that there are others to help me along the way.

[ezdzit247]

I went to my first AA meeting. It was like coming home. I wasn't prepared to feel so welcomed and encouraged. Certainly, I was blown away by how every single person there had a story just like mine. For once, I felt I was among my own kind....

WOW!!! I felt the same way when I went to my first AA meeting. It felt like coming home for me too. Thanks for sharing that with us. Love it!

[Spirit Flower]

Hi cheese head,
Welcome to AA. I liked it from the start too. Its funny when "the last house on the block" is home.

[Lali]

Thank you for sharing your experience with us. It will be helpful to the next new guy who comes along who may be fearful of attending a meeting for the first time.

[4thDimension]

Stay close to the program and fellowship, especially close when new.

I found sobriety has to be the #1 priority in my life before all else. Some people prioritize as God, sobriety, everything else..., which is true too.

Life is really good when I keep my priorities straight.

Glad you liked your first meeting and that you're doing better.

[Hanna]

Congratulations on 24 hrs! I felt the same way at my 1 st meeting, like coming home! We are all in this together, one day at a time is how I got here, 4 yrs sober. I didn't think it was possible, I have never been happier in my life. Stay close to the program, you too will be amazed before you are half way through~
The AA Promises
1. If we are painstaking about this phase of our development, we will be amazed
before we are half way through.
2. We are going to know a new freedom and a new happiness.
3. We will not regret the past nor wish to shut the door on it.
4. We will comprehend the word serenity and we will know peace.
5. No matter how far down the scale we have gone, we will see how our experience
can benefit others.
6. That feeling of uselessness and self-pity will disappear.
7. We will lose interest in selfish things and gain interest in our fellows.
8. Self-seeking will slip away.
9. Our whole attitude and outlook upon life will change.
10. Fear of people and of economic insecurity will leave us.
11. We will intuitively know how to handle situations which used to baffle us.
12. We will suddenly realize that God is doing for us what we could not do for
ourselves
Are these extravagant promises? We think not. They are being fulfilled among us -
sometimes quickly, sometimes slowly. They will always materialize if we work for them.
Alcoholics Anonymous p83-84
Reprinted from the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonymous

[Larryp713]

Welcome and so glad you had a great experience at your first meeting. I really relate to your story. I also have tried to beat this disease for years and years and in the end, I turned to AA with absolute desperation. Some called it a "gift" of desperation, and I totally understand that now. I would never honestly work this program until I was reduced to a sufficient level of willingness. I always found excuses why I didn't need a sponsor, why I didn't need to go to so many meetings or show up early, set up chairs, etc... The program worked when I finally knew I could not beat this on my own. Today, that knowledge is a great gift. It keeps me from thinking I am well. I have 19 months of true sobriety this week, and I know I could barely make it a week on my own at the end of my drinking. I am far happier today.
Take advantage of your willingness. Find a sponsor, call him and work the steps out of the book. Keep coming back to these forums, show up to meetings early and stay late - get to know some of the members. Greet newcomers, listen to oldtimers. The more engaged you are in these first days and weeks, the better your chance is of true recovery. Today, I don't white knuckle it. When thoughts of drinking pop in my head, they are easily pushed aside like any other silly idea. Because drinking for me is a silly idea. What a difference that is. Stay blessed - Larry

[johnd]

Welcome Home Cheddarveil!
Glad you were ready and willing to accept what AA has to offer..
Keep Coming .......
John D.